best way to sell a car

[gump]

Ok, I am trying to unload a vehicle. I do have a loan on it outstanding. I owe apprx $4800. It probably retails for $9500+ but depends on who the buyer is. I tried to sell it once and ran some ads. I got a few callers and I honestly got tired of dealing with them. They would call and say they were interested or say they were going to test drive it and I never heard from them again. And of course I got tired of taking time out of my day, taking days off & setting up so-called "times to meet" so I said screw it, I will pay it off and drive it for good.

The thing is, I don't think this will be a good one to hang on to for the long run. It seems to be one of those cars that's notorious for problems beyond a certain mileage and if possible, I would rather get some POJ and net the difference.

Any suggestions or is this normal PITA stuff when trying to sell? I suppose the higher price range (I purposely kept it lower than many of the comps in the market BTW) the fewer buyers? I am pretty much 100% sure I couldn't do an even swap with a dealer - trade for a trade.

[Tightwad]

The thing is, I don't think this will be a good one to hang on to for the long run. *It seems to be one of those cars that's notorious for problems beyond a certain mileage and if possible, I would rather get some POJ and net the difference.

Please what kind of vehicle is it?? Just how have you determined
it's unacceptable as a long term vehicle??

We need to answer these two question to help you........

The advice might suprise you.

[gump]

2001 VW Jetta - 63K miles. I had a Toyota before that and miss it. A lot of small things have gone wrong so far but nothing big. Just seems cheaply made. My brother has one and it too is starting to act up. Also, a lot of Consumer Reports do not give them a high rating.

[libertylover]

gump, is it manuel or automatic?

What's the mpg/city/highway?

Looks like somewhat low mileage.

[Tightwad]

2001 VW Jetta - 63K miles. *.

Ok, now I understand. You are correct in this case the VW brand are
NOT keepers unless you plan to rebuild them every 10 yrs.

You are also correct that the Toyota brand is superior in quality
alone to many brands. That said, my advice is hard to swallow
but may be the best long term. My advice is to wholesale the
car to a dealer for wholesale book value take the hit and buy
another Toyota. The object here is to get out from under the VW
NOW(!) while it still has some value.

It's all about minimizing the loss you're going to take no
matter what you do. Take a little hit now or trade it which
will add the unpaid cost to the new car so you still payout the
VW AND the other car. Dumb at best. Sadly you are upside
down on the VW but in the end this loss will be spread over
many years instead of carrying it on in a new car loan.

Two hard pieces of advice about cars.....
1.) NEVER fall in love with a car. It's an appliance to travel in and that
is all it will ever be so buy it like you do a kitchen stove.....
Only when you need one.

2.) NEVER buy any car until you've done your research to match
the need to the vehicle. NO sacred cows here. NO special brands.
Let the reseach and the numbers tell you what is best for the need.

[gump]

MPG city - apprx 27 - it's a 4 banger 5 speed

Tightwad -

I think I will take the hit and say "never again." Thanks for the advice.

[gump]

A double header - or threader ::)

Cars that seem to last a looong time with relatively low maintenance list:

1) Toyotas - I had one
2) Hondas
3) Nissans - some

Any others?

[Tightwad]

A double header - or threader *::)

Cars that seem to last a looong time with relatively low maintenance list:

1) Toyotas - I had one
2) Hondas
3) Nissans - some

Any others?


1&2 Ok, #3 maybe. Nissan is ok but lacks brand following for any
resale. That said, my basic suggestion is to forget brands and
do research on "what" kinds of "vehicles" will do the job you need
it to do by type of vehicle , quality of brand history, insurance cost,
etc. to determine EXACTLY the type of vehicle will be best.

In other words strip all the glitz & glamor from the purchase as THAT
is what caused you to buy the VW in the first place. A car is a
machine......period. Buy the best machine you can for the job
you want it to do.....for the long term use. To do otherwise is
be fooled by the car makers. If you do it right you'll walk in the
dealership KNOWING what vehicle you NEED so you can
concenrate on getting the best price and dealer service.

[tufhelp]

If you are near a town of reasonable size, you can usually hand it over to an independent used car lot and they will sell it on commission. I worked at a small lot and truck rental place here in Albuquerque for a couple of years and the owner did it all the time. Some rates were as low as $100, and never worse than $500. Set up some ground rules and make your agreement in writing so everyone knows who is doing what to and for whom. Insurance is a big concern – will your insurance or his cover on road tests? Any advertising is paid for by which party, etc. Be available for contact if they receive an offer that is close, but below your agreed upon minimum so you can accept or nix it. Auto trader and other mags of similar ilk usually have a run till it sells type of deal and you can pay the 20-30 bucks and put the car lots number in there and not mess with anyone but the car dealer. In bigger towns, there are bigger used facilities that will by your car on the spot (wholesale) if you just want out.

[Tuckahoe]

Will your car wholesale for the price you need? Find a vehicle wholesaler and see if they are interested.

[Uncle_Alvah]

Used cars are tough to sell for an individual, theres so many lease turn-ins and such that the market is flooded. And as my car selling buddy used to be fond of saying "Buyers are liars!" ;)

As far as a long-lasting car....Subaru!

[gump]

Update - The VW is gone.

I need a vehicle to get around town mostly, nothing special. I am only looking at 4 bangers. I have narrowed my choices down to:
1) Honda Accord
2) Honda Civic
3) Toyota Corrolla

Too difficult to find old Subarus and Toyota pickups - 2wd 4 bangers - are always hard to find. Civic/Corrolla might be a bit tight for a 6'2" guy.

[LaunchPad]

So VW's are not so good huh?

I beg to differ- the wife and i just got not one, but TWO VW's in October. A 2001 Jetta (!!!!) and an 05 Golf- both 1.9 Ltr TDI diesel. (We have 4 classic VWs as well so you might say we were biased)


http://www.transmitmedia.com/golfTDI/

Cheaply made??? Are you kidding? bets the H- E- double toothpicks out of her FORD escort GT (we are trying to unload for a measly $900), the Toyota Celica i had, Any Jeep product out there, Dodge Neons, Dodge Full size vans, and Dodge trucks i've owned. That is speaking from experence.

Better than my mom's Nissian (clutch cables always going out and paint that would not stick) or the Camry- whole body panels falling off- door locks quite working, etc.


My Jetta is getting very close 50 mpg and the Gulf more.


Now, . . . . . . the oil pan is a bit low hanging on the Jetta- as i've already had a rock in the road take it right on out. :) but about two hours in my shop and a METAL skid plate- not likely to ever happen again!


Now back to getting rid of cars . . . . Any one want a purple Escort GT DOHC- RUNNING for a measly $900 before i turn into a monster garage type of project?? :)

[gump]

I didn't have the diesel version. Cheaply made? Yes, when compared to the Japanese models I have driven. Seems like a lot of small but PIA problems happened frequently - especially electrical. The mystery 'check engine' light came on and when I took it in nobody was ever able to find exactly what was wrong. I don't tolerate those sorts of problems. My Toyota needed gas and regular, expected maintenance.

VW Jettas rarely obtain the same status as the Japanese models in Consumer Reports going back 10+ years so opinions vary.